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Blog

How to Build Confidence as an Engineering Leader (Even in the Face of Not-enough-ness)

February 8, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Jen Bunk, Ph.D.

ConfidenceClients often ask me how to build their confidence.

I find that the best way to approach this is to first explain what NOT to do, because if you build your confidence in the wrong way, you’ll decimate it. You’ll completely obliterate your chances of reaching your career goals.

So — what’s the wrong way and the right way to build your confidence?

First, I’m going to step back and be brutally honest for a second.

Right now, there are thousands of tech and engineering managers trying to upgrade their positions and their pay:

They’re reading boatloads of books…

They’re watching tons of training videos on leadership…

They’re even spending thousands of dollars on certification courses…

And despite all of that, most of them aren’t even close to getting a 10% raise — much less building their dream career.

If you want to upgrade your career in three months or less, you’ll never get there in a million years if you do those things. There’s a much shorter path.

[Read more…] about How to Build Confidence as an Engineering Leader (Even in the Face of Not-enough-ness)

Filed Under: Blog, Personal Development and Professionalism Tagged With: authentic and assertive, Build Confidence, Build Confidence as an Engineering Leader, build your confidence, certification courses, confidence to deal, dream career, engineering leader, perceived lack of confidence, play the comparison game, rying to find your confidence, training videos on leadership, upgrade your career, work personality conflicts

2 Steps to Setting Goals for Changing Your Engineering Career in 2021

February 1, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest post by Nader Mowlaee

Changing Your Engineering CareerSTEP 1: Identify the Outcomes You Want to Create or Contribute To

Align your mission with a company’s mission that motivates you. It is tough to come up with innovative ideas by yourself, especially if you are starting to set new goals or changing your engineering career and you do not know where to start.

If this sounds like you, then you’re not alone. Many engineers have been making career transitions this year and certainly last year in 2020, and I have been there guiding them along the way. I know how it feels to come up short and feel like there is no future for you, and in this article, I want to give you a simple 2-step process to setting powerful goals that can contribute to you successfully changing your engineering career in 2021.

Let’s start by accepting that the world is our playground and we can get to play with our own rules, especially as an engineer. We are a special breed of people who can acquire new skills on demand and can pivot whenever it’s necessary so that we can create better outcomes in our careers and lives. However, you do not have to create your own job from scratch. Just join an existing team, follow their footsteps, and enable them to achieve their grand vision. Then you can branch out later to create your own unique results.

Changing Your Engineering Career

Here is an example: When I decided to leave an engineering career behind and get into technical recruiting, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I had was a role model and an attractive staffing company I had just joined. So all the goals I set were fully aligned with that company’s vision and core values.

[Read more…] about 2 Steps to Setting Goals for Changing Your Engineering Career in 2021

Filed Under: Blog, Career Goals and Challenges Tagged With: Align your mission, Changing Your Engineering Career, come up with innovative ideas, continuous process design, engineer your mission, Engineering Career, identify your skill gaps, making career transitions, Mechanical Engineers, Nader Mowlaee, project management, setting goals for your engineering career, setting life-changing goals, Steps to Setting Goals, successfully contributing, the world is our playground

Mastering the 4 Ways to Show Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

January 25, 2021 By Angelique Burns

This is a guest blog by Carl Friesen

LinkedInImagine your ideal client, employer, or business partner has heard about you and wants to learn more. Let’s give this person a name — we’ll call her “Aisha.” She’s someone you want to impress, as she could be the key to your brighter future.

So if she’s interested in learning more about you, how will she do it? Aisha will likely begin by going online, and what will likely show up first about you is your LinkedIn profile.

So ask yourself: Would Aisha be impressed with what she finds there? Will she be reassured that you’re a recognized expert in your field, someone worth her time?

One of the most important ways to show your expertise, so Aisha will take the next step of reaching out to you, is through publishing thought leadership content on your LinkedIn profile.

LinkedIn

It could be content about a new development in your field, such as a new law, regulation, or disruptive technology. Maybe it’s a trend you’ve seen. Or it could be a case study of a project you’ve worked on.

[Read more…] about Mastering the 4 Ways to Show Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

Filed Under: Blog, Networking/Client Relations Tagged With: Carl Friesen, Content Published Elsewhere, graphic images of content, Link to Content, LinkedIn, LinkedIn articles, LinkedIn profile, Long-form Original Content, providing a short introduction, publication elsewhere, Publications, publish your ideas, publishing thought leadership content, recognized expert, Show Thought Leadership on LinkedIn, Thought Leadership, Visual Appeal

Finding the Sweet Spot

January 18, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Mickey Addison, MSCE, PMP

sweet spotThe New Year always brings us opportunities to think about how we can lead better and manage our projects better. We make resolutions, set goals, and try new things to motivate our teams.

As we do this, it’s essential to take a step back and look at the metaphorical horizon, that is, think strategically. That means harmonizing our personal and professional goals with those of our teams, our work, and our organizations. The better we do that, the better chance we have of being successful in achieving our goals. That’s where the Leader-Sync Model comes in. Generating a common picture and integrating the various needs of the Institution, Project, and People is a great way to help build a shared view and shared purpose.

A Leadership Common Operating Picture

If you’ve been around the military for any length of time, you’re likely to hear the term “common operating picture” (COP). A common operating picture is the view of the battlespace that is shared with everybody that’s involved in that battlespace. It’s called a common operating picture because it’s common across everybody who’s in there, everybody who needs to see it, and what the military now terms “Multi-Domain Operations” (air, space, sea, land, cyber). What’s important about a COP is that information is shared and constantly updated so that everyone has a shared view and can pursue a shared goal.

sweet spot

[Read more…] about Finding the Sweet Spot

Filed Under: Blog, Career Goals and Challenges Tagged With: achieving our goals, build a shared view, deal with human beings, Finding the Sweet Spot, lead better, Leader-Sync Model, Leadership Common Operating Picture, manage our projects better, metaphorical horizon, Mickey Addison, needs of the organization, take a step back, think strategically

How To Write SMART Goals, Courtesy of a Moose

January 11, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

SMART GoalsSeveral years ago, we took a family vacation to Maine. Being a savvy professional, I set official goals for the trip. I wrote them down, of course. Goals aren’t real unless you write them down.

I shared my written goals with a peer group. I even wrote them down in the visitors’ registration book at a Maine information center.

“Goals for Maine trip: to get a green tourmaline ring and to see a moose.”

Before I tell you what happened, let’s look at how to set goals using the SMART method, a tried-and-true model for goal setting. And very fitting for this time of year.

SMART goals

Identify Your SMART Goals

[Read more…] about How To Write SMART Goals, Courtesy of a Moose

Filed Under: Blog, Organization/Productivity/Time Management Tagged With: Attainable, goal setting, goal setting for engineers, Measurable, model for goal setting, Pamela A. Scott, quantify your goals, Realistic, Set SMART goals, SMART acronym, SMART method, Specific, Timely, Write SMART Goals, written goals

The Increasing Importance of BIM for Civil Engineering

January 4, 2021 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Roger Liucci

BIMEvery building project, no matter how small, comes with many aspects to consider and disciplines to reconcile. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part — having everyone work together without getting in each other’s way. For decades now, architects, engineers, and building contractors have looked for ways to resolve this problem, as well as cut project costs and increase efficiency. Finally, it seems that the solution is here, in the form of BIM.

What Is BIM?

BIM stands for building information modeling, and it can be understood in two ways: as a process and as software. In both cases, BIM helps coordinate all aspects of the building project and allows the team to collaborate. Aside from that, it lets civil engineers troubleshoot the building before it’s even built and explore different options for project completion.

[Read more…] about The Increasing Importance of BIM for Civil Engineering

Filed Under: Blog, Project Management Tagged With: AEC Industry, BIM for Civil Engineering, Building Information Modeling, building project, contributing to cloud projects, coordinate all aspects, Cost Estimation, Different Solutions, Facility Management, Importance of BIM, increases efficiency and reduces costs, Microsol Resources, Project Coordination, Roger Liucci, senior BIM Specialist, Visualization and Troubleshooting

Stop Talking and Listen!

December 28, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Fernando A. Ceballos, P.E.

listen

Communication: The imparting or exchanging of information or news.

Depending on your personality, you are either the type to listen or talk. Usually, people struggle to be good at both. I was the type to talk, to think about what to say next, and sometimes forget to listen to the person I was talking to. I realized that this was due to my fear of having a “boring” conversation or awkward pauses while I reflected on what was being said. It was also ego taking over, since I wanted to be “ready” with a rebuttal when I was debating with someone.

As I write this blog post, I know I am not the best listener I can be, but I’ve made improvements from who I used to be. These changes have been thanks to books, the wisdom of mentors and coaches, and most importantly, practice. You must practice!

listen

It may be a weird concept at first, but you must be able to be intentional at listening. Instead of giving you a long list of tips or tricks to become a better listener, I want to give you two that you can implement today.

Call Yourself Out

[Read more…] about Stop Talking and Listen!

Filed Under: Blog, Communication/Public Speaking Tagged With: awkward pauses, become a better listener, Call Yourself Out, communication, ego taking over, exchanging of information, forget to listen, intentional at listening, internal desire, internal dialogue, listen and process, missing critical information, practice, prepare your own thoughts, Process What Is Being Said, Stop Talking

Being a Good Communicator Isn’t as Hard as You Think

December 21, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

Good Communicator“Engineers don’t have good communication skills.” I hear this all the time, and it is a myth. While it may be true for some engineers, we cannot put it out as a blanket truth that applies to all of them. And most importantly, if someone is not a great communicator now, they can develop those skills, just like anyone else. Often this myth pairs itself with the expectation that most engineers are introverts, which some people think leads to bad communication.

The truth is, both introverts and extroverts can be fantastic communicators, as these skills can be learned and developed over time. The natural behavioral types of introvert vs extrovert have nothing to do with actual ability to communicate, but rather identify how people gain energy from interpersonal interaction (and where they exist on the spectrum). Humans are naturally social beings, and we feel purpose as we develop connections with others. Thus, developing an array of communication skills is necessary for everyone to be happy and healthy.

To assist, I’d love to share some ideas and activities to help you level-up your communication skills:

Practice Listening

Developing communication skills is a broad idea that covers a lot of ground. To start, engineers can develop their own communication abilities by focusing on the skill of listening. I love this quote by Stephen R. Covey:

[Read more…] about Being a Good Communicator Isn’t as Hard as You Think

Filed Under: Blog, Communication/Public Speaking Tagged With: Adjust Your Mindset, bad communication, clarity and collaboration, communication abilities, develop the skills, effectively communicate with others, engineering communication, engineers are introverts, good communication skills, Good Communicator, great communicator, level-up your communication skills, Practice Listening, seeking to understand, simple analogies, Simplify Communication, skills can be learned

No Moment Is Too Small for a Sincere Thank You

December 14, 2020 By EMI

No Moment Is Too Small for a Sincere Thank You is a
guest blog by Mike Burns, PE, PgMP, DBIA

thank you

Over the past 12 months, during another painful period of global socio-economic strife, I have thoroughly enjoyed EMI’s support as we’ve discussed AEC industry trends and leadership themes. Last month’s effort, A Sustainable Sales Platform Starts With an Organization’s Values, presented an opportunity to summarize these discussions. This month, as we move into what will certainly be a very trying holiday season for people around the world. I’m taking my cue from the recent Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

History reminds us that progress is a messy business, fraught with mistakes and unintended human consequences. The work we do, delivering infrastructure improvements for our communities, reminds us that our complex world doesn’t always lend itself to simple solutions. Respecting that current events affect us differently and that our support systems vary widely, I encourage you to celebrate incremental success. Never forget that no moment is too small for a sincere thank you, establishing cultural norms that allow collaboration to thrive.

thank you

[Read more…] about No Moment Is Too Small for a Sincere Thank You

Filed Under: Blog, Enlightenment Tagged With: AEC industry trends, allow collaboration to thrive, celebrate incremental success, delivering infrastructure improvements, establishing cultural norms, global socio-economic strife, History reminds us, human consequences, leadership themes, Mike Burns, reflect on your companions, sincere thank you

Leadership Skills You Can Develop Now

December 7, 2020 By EMI

This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

Leadership Skills

Are you doing what it takes to earn a leadership role at your firm?

A few years ago, I was working with a team of senior project managers (PM). The training program was “From PMs to Business Leaders.” In our first session, I asked them to list the job requirements for a PM and for a business leader. The list for the PMs was quite long. The list for a business leader had just a couple bullets on it.

One PM looked at the lists and said, “If our executive team members were killed in an accident, we wouldn’t even know how to turn off the lights.” Bingo!

How equipped are you to take on a leadership role at your firm? Below are three critical capabilities necessary to become a leader.

1) Network With Intention

[Read more…] about Leadership Skills You Can Develop Now

Filed Under: Blog, Leadership/Management Tagged With: become a leader, Build self-confidence, building relationships, business leader, critical capabilities, Critical thinking skills, earn a leadership role, executive team, From PMs to Business Leaders, introduce yourself to strangers, leadership skills, networking, Pamela A. Scott, reach leadership status, Show Initiative, take on a leadership role

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